Various self-propelled and motorized scooters are known in the art. These include two wheeled, three wheeled and other multi-wheeled embodiments.
Known three wheeled scooter embodiments include those disclosed in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,192, issued to Shelton for a Three-Wheeled Scooter-Type Vehicle ('192 patent); U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,121, issued to Holter for a Tri-Skater ('121 patent); U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,090, issued to Chuang for a Cambering Vehicle Having Inclined Pivot Axle ('090 patent); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,687 for a Cambering Vehicle and Mechanism ('687 patent).
The '192 patent discloses a scooter having two rear wheel frame members, each with a foot placement area, that can be moved between a first adjacent position and a second spaced position. The two rear wheels are each mounted with a spring that biases them in the line of direction of their respective frame members. The biased arrangement also allows movement of the wheels out of this line of direction, while returning them in the absence of a displacement force. This arrangement permits forward movement of the scooter when the user shifts his or her weight from side to side.
The '121 patent discloses a similar device but with caster wheels that are coupled to the frame member at a point forward of the axle of the wheel. This arrangement has a similar effect to that of the '192 patent, effectively biasing the wheels in the line of direction of the frame member and permitting forward propulsion of the scooter device in response to side to side movement of the user.
The '090 patent discloses a scooter device that does not utilize spring biased or tilted caster wheels. The device of the '090 patent has a movable frame arrangement that permits the steering assembly and wheels to tilt slightly, in parallel, permitting a user to lean the scooter into a turn. In the '090 patent, the rear wheels are fixedly mounted in place and the frame is configured such that there is no independent movement of the position of the rear wheels.
The '687 patent discloses a scooter device that, similar to the '090 patent, does not utilize spring biased or tilted caster wheels. The device of the '687 patent uses a yoke and linkage arrangement that permits the steering mechanism and wheels to tilt in parallel, permitting a user to lean the scooter into a turn. In the '687 patent, the rear wheels are fixedly mounted in place and the frame is configured such that there is no independent movement of the position of the rear wheels.
The devices of the prior art are disadvantageous because they do not provide one or more of: tilting of the steering mechanism or foot platforms to improve turning or accentuate the riding experience; direction biased rear wheels; independent or lateral movement of the rear wheel support member to accentuate propulsion efforts; and a flexible structural element efficiently integrated into the frame of the scooter device, among other reasons. Prior art devices also lack adequate braking.
A need thus exists for a side-to-side movement propelled scooter device that has a frame structure that is flexible to support tilting and enhance the riding experience and/or propulsion effort. A need also exists for a scooter device that combines both tilted caster or otherwise direction biased wheels and a tiltable frame. A further need exists for improved braking in a scooter device.